You’re not paranoid if you think you’re being targeted by the IRS for tax purposes.

According to CBS and Reuters, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) is expected to publish an investigative report this week detailing that Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents specifically targeted conservative groups for review and consideration of their tax exempt status.

According to Reuters, director of exempt organizations for the IRS, Lois Lerner apologized Friday for what she called the “inappropriate” targeting of conservative groups for closer scrutiny, something the agency had long denied. She said the screening practice was confined to an IRS office in Cincinnati; that it was “absolutely not” influenced by the Obama administration; and that none of the targeted groups were denied tax-free status.

The TIGTA findings detail that the names and purposes of groups were used to scrutinize applications. Name scrutiny included organizations such as Tea Party, Patriot, and 9/12. Scrutiny was also being improperly given to references to government spending, government debt, taxes, education of the public via advocacy/lobbying to make America a better place to live; and statements that criticize how the country is being run.

IRS employees are presently prohibited from targeting anyone for their political or religious beliefs. However, under current law such conduct would only be grounds for termination. Wasting no time to ride the coattails of a juicy scandal, Congressman Mike Turner of Ohio already unveiled a bill to make such actions a felony. Considering that nobody seems to know anything in these types of cases, and that the portions of the report available so far appears to be no different, it will be interesting if anyone is ever prosecuted criminally if the bill were to pass.

Attorney Advertisement. Tax Attorneys Montgomery & Wetenkamp are licensed by the State Bar of California, are licensed attorneys authorized to practice before the United States Tax Court, and may practice before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as attorneys in all 50 states. Sacramento Tax Attorneys and Modesto Tax Attorneys Montgomery & Wetenkamp perform all services in Sacramento, California and Modesto, California. The content of this website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The tax information contained on this website, is not intended to be used, and cannot be used, referred to or relied upon, for the purpose of avoiding tax-related penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or promoting, marketing, or recommending to another party any tax-related transaction or matter addressed herein. Past successes cannot be an assurance of future successes because each case must be decided on its own merits and will differ if based on different facts. Full disclaimer provided on our disclaimer page and is incorporated herein by reference.

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